1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to magnetic kinetic amusement devices wherein there is an intermittent interchange of motional energy between dynamic components by magnetic coupling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of magnetic amusement devices and kinetic sculptures are known. In such devices, movable members are magnetically attracted or repelled by magnets on adjacent units to provide suspensory or motion effects. Often the objective is eye appeal, as for display purposes. For example, in the display apparatus of the Littlefield U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,566 a model airplane is suspended in air by magnetic repulsion between a magnet in the model and two spaced magnets in an underlying stationary base.
Other devices are characterized by magnetically imparted motion. Thus in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,220,049 to Dunmore, a pendulum-suspended figure is provided with a magnet that coacts with another magnet mounted below a platform. The sub-platform magnet may be fixed at a location offset from the pendulum rest axis, or may be driven through a circular or irregular path in a plane parallel to but beneath the platform. The suspended figure swings and rotates in some more or less random pattern under magnetic influence.
The magnetic amusement device of MacPherson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,316) uses a pair of pivotally supported, balanced rods each having a magnet at one end and a counterweight at the other end. Due to magnetic interaction, when one rotor is spun gently, rotation is imparted in the opposite direction to the other balanced rod. Depending on the speed of rotation, the interaction of the magnetic fields may effect the transfer of enertial energy as the magnet ends pass adjacent to each other causing changes in speed and sometimes reversal of direction of rotation.
In the Podesto kinetic sculpture of U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,606 a pair of magnets are attached to the free ends of a pair of artistically shaped spring wires that extend from a base. Repulsion between the magnetics imparts random, tremor-like motion to the springs.
An object of the present invention is to provide magnetic kinetic amusement devices in which there is a continuing, but intermittant exchange of motional energy between dynamic members, accomplished by magnetic coupling. In certain embodiments, the energy interchange is between a plurality of oscillating members. The resultant motional effects are fascinating to the viewer.